Editor's note: Listen to our podcast in the above player to hear the complete story.

(CNN) - Georgia Turner grew up in a small town in eastern Kentucky. She studied hard, she played played soccer and she didn't even consider going to a party until she got to college.

The petite sophomore recalls her excitement to start classes at the University of Louisville. She even paid to move in early. Then, one August night two years ago, she went to a party, her first, with some people she'd just met. That's all she remembers from the night. The next morning she felt awful.

[2:30] "I had bruises all over my body. I really knew, it's just a feeling you know and I knew I'd been raped."

For about a month Turner just tried to cope.

[2:40] "I literally spent a lot of the time making myself throw up and trying to get whatever happened to me out of my body."

Eventually she got help. About a year after that attack Turner decided to speak out. At a Take Back the Night rally on her campus she took a stage to share her story to about a couple hundred of her peers. She was so nervous she couldn't eat all day.

Rape on college campuses is a huge problem nationally. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, speaking last spring, put it this way:

[:32] "Every school would like to think it's immune from sexual violence but the facts suggest otherwise. According to one widely referenced study 1 in 5 women is sexually assaulted while in college."

Duncan spoke not only about the scope of the problem but about new guidelines for how schools will have to deal with this scourge on their campus. Under the landmark Title IX legislation, Duncan said, schools have an obligation to ensure students impacted by this get justice and also the help they need to complete their education:

[:54] "We know that if children and young people aren't safe they can't learn. It's as simple and as fundamental of a problem as that."

At the time, this announcement passed with only scant notice. Now, around the country, administrators are working to ensure they comply with the various new requirements of this law.

Questions remain about how the student justice system should work, how to best work with police and there are questions about mandatory reporting. But with several high profile investigations into how colleges deal with sex crimes, pressure has ramped up on campuses to take these new measures seriously.

At the Take Back the Night rally in Louisville, Turner can't stop smiling. She told her story and her peers not only listened, but afterwards they came up to offer Turner hugs and words of support. It's an ending that authorities hope they'll see a lot more of as these rules fall into place.

soundoff(198 Responses)

mapaxn

I am absolutely disgusted by some of the comments here. This is the year 2012 and people STILL have to explain to men why it's not ok to rape? Really? We Americans boast so much about "progress" made in regard to the rights of women, and how great women have it in this country – yet American women can't go to a bar, a party, walk down the street, or even sleep in their own beds at home without worrying about rape?

And when the topic is brought up, the first thing some people say is "Well, men are raped too!" Yet again, the lives and experiences of women are trivialized by men who believe that the only real victims in this world are male.

I was stationed in Korea for two years. It's insane when you hear some of the coping mechanisms rapists use to validate their actions, it's the idea that you can avoid guilt by hiding behind a wall of excuses for the rest of your life.

One guy went into a (former) female friend's room while she was asleep and started assaulting her. His explanation, she told him he was the hottest guy she'd ever seen. While that may seem like a huge compliment, it wasn't an invitation to sexually assault her that night.

There are those rapists that do so with premeditated intent, then there are those guys who are too stupid to understand the difference between having and not having consent. It's not a fine line. A woman, with her mental cognizance intact and with no means of malicious coercion must say "Yes" to a request for sex. If perhaps you're getting into it after this and she changes her mind, she has that right. If you're in the middle of it after having had consent and she says "STOP!", you stop. If she says she didn't mean it when she said stop (which has happened to me before), let her know that if she says "stop" no matter what the assumed circumstances you will stop.

College has become synonymous with the act of losing one's virginity, having sex with a woman (willing or not) becomes a "by any means neccessary" mandate of the experience.

And leave the drugs alone ladies.. marijuana.. especially if you didn't see the person roll it up.. you could be smoking boat or wet.. which can make you unable to stand.. You will continue to fall down..

Just limit the partying to a null minimum and study hard.. I know the party is a way to release, but if you go.. Promise Me and yourself JUST DON"T DRINK OR EAT ANYTHING...

#1 RULE DON"T DRINK OR EAT ANYTHING>>> You'd rather dehydrate or starve for the moment until you get home safe.. DON"T DRINK OR EAT ANYTHING...

Some parties are themed this way and they can identify the girl by the color cup she's given to drink from.. JUST DON"T DRINK OR EAT ANYTHING..

That's one thing about college that makes it such a haven for rapists.

Those "college" parties might only have about one fifth of the people there actually going to the college.

Most of us who went to college didn't go with a group of people we know and trust, we go there alone and have to start from scratch to fit in. There's a slight amount of gullibility that everyone experiences when we're trying to make a good impression on potential friends. I've seen it before where guys will play games by saying "If you don't want to go, that's fine. I'll just tell everyone that you're not going".

I frequented various College Parties with friends years ago.. This drink slip happens all the time. I remember I got into a fight with an associate of one of my friends who brought these pills and said pick your girl buy her drink drop the pill in and enjoy.. .I beat the pulp out of him and told everybody he has rape pills after I was done..

Thats the most disgusting thing.. Just buy a blow up doll.. Having sex with a life-less limp body.. Disgusting and disgraceful...

To this day.. Women never ever ever Drink at a party.. If you leave your drink.. Don't return and consume it.. What me and most of my friends did is drink before we get to the party.. Or we'd bring our own drinks.. BYOB..

I know a young female who was date raped while going to college. The young man put something in her drink. She woke up the next day at his place. She knew who it was, but did not want to press charges and cause more embarrassment for herself etc. And proving it was rape would have been he said-she said. So she lived with it, but it took its toll on her mental health.
I also retired from a university where this is happening but the administration is keeping it quiet. They don't want the rest of the campus OR the town to know what's going on. It is usually the athletes who do it.

What a terrible experience to go through. We need tougher security for students. Student security and cameras in isolated areas. That is why when we do enjoy our leisure time we must be safe. Drinking drugs and immaturity lead to events like this. College is for accomplishment and celebrations and not for parties and sex. I'm not saying going out responsibly is not a good thing or wrong. I'm saying many students forget why they even signed up for college. Do you think concealed guns should be allowed on campus if security is lacking? Why should students pay for the college's job to protect them. This is a good question that should go to the ballot. God Bless You

I like that you have good intentions here but I don't think you're realizing a camera, security, and guns would have done NOTHING for the woman described in Sherri's story. Sadly most rapes are NOT the creepy stranger attack people are taught they are. They are commited by people the victim already has some sort of relationship with. It's hard to report a friend or dating partner especially when there has been coercion and manipulation. Often our society blames people who drink, dress a particular way, and make really any decision before being assaulted for their victimization instead of blaming the perpetrator. Sadly victims blame themselves too. What we need is education and societal change.

As far as I know this girl is full of crap and a full blown idiot. It sounds like she just blacked out and did some stupid stuff that resulted in bruising. I'm a male and have blacked out many times and have found myself with multiple scrapes and bruises on my face and or body on multiple occassions and felt awful in the morning. I'm pretty sure she's just an idiot and is puking because she drank a crap load of alcohol. LOL I FEEL LIKE CRAP AND CANT REMEMBER ANYTHING I MUST HAVE BEEN RAPED! If that was the case then practically everyone in the world was raped on one occassion. Maybe she was raped, maybe she wasn't, as far as I know from the article she wasn't and just blacked out. Did she wake up in some random dudes room or did she wake up in her room? There needs to be more detail.

We need to stop with the hyperbole and propaganda. For one, stats like "1 in 4 or 5 women get raped" are a load of crap. The studies define "rape" as including a lot of consensual sex where the woman had voluntarily consumed alcohol. I'm not talking about black out drunk or passed out or anything, just normal drunk. If that's rape, then I think we'd find quite a few college men that are being "raped" by women too. Some colleges even have pretty strict policies where having consensual sex with somebody who's been drinking is grounds for expulsion. Because, y'know, that's totally not normal college behavior for both genders

In addition, roofies are FAR less common than women allege. I can't tell you how many times I witnessed college women, especially freshmen, drink WAY more than they could handle, blackout, and then the next morning say something like "OMG! I don't remember anything from last night! Somebody must have roofied me!" No they didn't. You just drank too much and passed out. Nobody roofied you, and nobody raped you. Rape is certainly a problem, but it's not anywhere near the extent that it's made out to be.

I was probably saved from a rape. I went to a party with my roommates, one of whom was male, in 1983. I was drinking a rum and coke, and had had about three sips of it when I started to feel strange. My female friend came over and told me I should slow down on the drinking. I said this was all I'd had. Our guy friend took the glass from me, said, "Come on, let's get out of here, I think there's something in the drinks. We're leaving."

I don't remember anything after that, until I woke up the next morning. He had gotten us all home safe. Thanks, Greg. I've never forgotten that.

How about stop consuming alcohol? Stop going to those 'parties' where pervs get together?
Crucify me but (in my stupid opinion) women should be held responsible too. Why dress like that? Why act sl*utyy? Why seek 'adventure' and provide some perv chance to rape you? WHY?. Well its the frikking media/movies/Paris Hiltons and other false role models which have contaminated minds of young men and women. SAVE YOUR SISTERS AND DAUGHTERS FROM THIS TORTURE!

There is a land like that you seek, its called Iran. You know where women are covered head to toe, don't go out unless accompanied by a male family figure, and don't even think of having fun. I'm a guy, I work in the criminal law area and yes sometimes I am shocked at what girls (and guys) call clothing these days but I don't care if you are dressed in fig leaves and passed out drunk, the rapist is always to blame.

Hah, she's just another girl that's laying the blame for her behavior on the guy instead of taking responsibility for her own actions. So instead of thinking "hey I need to not drink and have sex I'll probably regret in the morning" she and women looking to victimize men with the sexual offender's list think "If I drink and don't like him in the morning I can just say he raped me and he'll never have a girlfriend again."

That may be a little extreme but discrimination against men happens like that all the time and there's nothing a guy can do by virtue of the "victim" being a woman and woman are so much more vulnerable than men!

Your statement isn't entirely true. Sadly, there are women who lie about rape, but this doesn't seem to be the case in this girl's situation. From what she said, it sounds like someone put rufies in her drink. It is a VERY common problem not just in universities, but parties and bars as well. There have been many Frats that have been shut down by universities because they're drugging girls at their parties. Plus, from what it sounds like this girl isn't trying to "blame" or ruin anyone else's life. She's trying to raise awareness about the issue. I can't say for sure if raising awareness will fix this issue, but I can say for sure that your attitude is exactly the problem.

every collage should support these young ladies and make sure that every case is taken serously ,these boys should be ashamed not the yong ladies.a collage that does not do all that it can to help should be fined.

Alcohol plus some date rape drugs totally disinhibit and disable a person (woman or man). That should be the first thing to remember. The second one is that going to a college meant getting an education, not going through a misadventure and indulging in risk taking behavior. Don't be alone and take a picture of the person you go out with.

What is the point of this article? It has no real information or details about anything. The article has no facts about this woman's rape. They don't mention that she went to a hospital and confirmed that she was raped. She just felt like she was probably raped so CNN put together a fluff piece? No, I'm not going to listen to the damn podcast. CNN needs to quit investing so much in video and audio. If I wanted any of that I'd turn on a tv.

Cnn has a history of picking the worst example. I know my college had lopeside record with those who raped. Some people were able to get help from the school. Some were told she should try a differnt school, though her rapist remained on campus.

The title of this article has nothing to do with the content of the article. It purports to be a news story about new federal requirements for higher education institutions to report and prevent rape. This article is instead emotional drivel. Who, what, where, when, how and why. Who is creating the new regulations? Who do these new regulations cover? What are the new regulations? Where do these regulations apply? (Public vs. private institutions) When do the new regulations take effect? How will these regulations improve the security of the students? Why are the regulations being changed? This article barely looks at the statistics of rape/assault on college campuses. Why aren't reports of rape and assault being investigated by police departments? Rape and assault will always take place but can only be discouraged by reporting the crimes and prosecuting the crimes. This is lazy example of touchy feely reporting of no substance.

Why can't a female attend a party where drinks are served without males thinking she is fair game? Why does she have to guard her drink from a date rape drug being dropped in it? Where did these males learn such lack of human respect? Recenly Notre Dame football players were accused of rape. The victim and her family got emails warning them not to mess with Notre Dame Football, like the team were gods or something. They should remember what happened to Penn State Football, Joe Paterno & Jerry Sandusky. Sports teams are not above the law.

People are scum. This has always been true and will most likely remain true for quite some time. That said, a woman shouldn't have to guard her drink from date rape drugs at a college party. I also shouldn't have to wear a kevlar vest when I go walking around dark alleys at night. I'm not blaming the victim, but just like the article says, people have the mentality that they won't be a victim or that things like rape don't happen at their school. This kind of scum is everywhere.

It's not all males who are like that, but most who are fit into one of two patterns. They are either a spoiled kid who has never been told no, and is likely at school on an athletic scholarship (not that all athletes are this way), so he is treated like a god (school sports bring in bukuu dollars); or, they are someone who has always been told no, in almost every aspect of their life, and they finally have a way that they can exert control. Both of these types are scumbags, for sure.

However, and I know this will be the unpopular side, there are many women who will claim rape to try to save face or get something (attention or money, usually) out of decent people. Let's look at the Duke Lacrosse case or the Tawana Brawley case. Both were situations where someone utilized an idea that made it very easy to sympathize with the "victim" (vicious gang-rape), despite the fact that both women were lying about the entire event. And this woman in the article "just knew that she had been raped?" Spent a lot of time trying to "get it out?" So, there's no evidence, and the entire incident's occurence depends on "I just knew?" She said this was her first party; does she know how alcohol will personally affect her? I've seen plenty of very shy women who become very, very "outgoing" under the influence of alcohol. Maybe she wasn't drugged, and was a willing participant. Unlikely, maybe. But possible.

Don't get me wrong. 9 times out of 10, these guys are scumbags. But our legal system is predicated on innocent until proven guilty. We can't immediately demonize people for an act based on hearsay. Investigate, fine. Work with evidence and statements available, great. But we can't just assume guilt just because of what someone is accused of.

In college i was part of volenteer crisis team for those who have been raped (from students, men women childern anyone) my training class had maybe a little under 20. most of them there were there to put it on there rusume. maybe 4 us really ment to do anything, and that inculded the one man in the class.

As a woman, in a world filled with women who continually rail against bias by claiming they are adults, not children, and should be respected as such, I am embarrassed by and angry with my gender when I see so many comments here that tell of the writer having been raped and include the words " ... and I never reported it."

Failure to report a rape and to participate in the police investigation means that the predator got a "get out of jail free" card and likely means those women are complicit in the rape of other women when he realizes they won't act against him. THAT is the secret shame of this and it is unacceptable.

Of course it is a horrific experience. Of course it leaves one feeling vulnerable and frightened. The way to be empowered again is not to hide, it is to fight back. Rape statistics will diminish when we both teach our young men true respect for others and when our women refuse to be remain victims. Both conditions must occur.

Think for a moment about what you are saying. Think about how our culture thinks about women and sex, and how they really treat rape victims. The fact is that unless a chaste, sober woman is violently attacked by a stranger and physically forced to have, people tend not to think of it as "legitimate" rape. In any other circumstances, they immediately question the woman's credibility. People makes excuses for the rapist and say that the victim asked for it or deserved it. Rape victims know this. THAT is why they don't report.

And think about what you're saying. Our culture only reacts this way because when pressured to sit down and shut up with regards to rape allegations, a lot of women give in. Just makes standing up for yourself in these situations that much more important.

You think for a long time about what you are saying. This isn't the 1950's or the 1970's. I do not know any woman who has reported a rape who has been subjected to that, particularly since the Rape Shield laws were passed. Additionally, modern forensic science is a woman's partner in receiving justice for this invasion. So long as credible women fail to report rapes and pursue justice, rapists will walk free.

You're speaking from experience with watching politicians and police dramas. I'm going to cite a real example. Not the best one, but in some ways fitting.

The Duke Lacrosse case.

This case had a STRIPPER accuse the Duke University Men's Lacrosse Team of raping her, and recieved a massive wave of support. The only reason she didn't go on to win that case is that she lied about the whole thing.

It doesn't matter who you are. If a woman reports she was raped, there is at least a local outcry, and whoever is accused may be publically lynched before they get to court. If you have a legitimate case (i.e., you were raped, period, no other requirements necessary), then you will get support.

What happens is you have those kids that have never been to a party mingling with those more experienced party goers. This sets up an envornment that gives advantage to the experienced. I remember in college sheltered, innocent girls would show up to a party with short skirts and tight shirts. Immediately they were given jello shots, which they did not know had alcohol in them, and offered hard booze on top of that. While that night I was able to explain to them what was going on this scenerio happens at every college. Therefore, I would advise parents who think keeping their son's and daughters away from booze and parties during high school was a great idea to also remember to educate them so they don't get taken advantage of when they go to college.

These comments extenuate what the real problem is. Alcohol, inexperience, tight clothes and opposite sexes mingling are NOT the cause of rapes and violent, criminal behavior. Rape and violent behavior is caused by the person who rapes and violates. Stop placing blame on the victim and start placing blame where it belongs. People give their sons the idea that it's not their fault, it's the fault of alcohol, tight clothes or the victim's inexperience, are a big part of the problem and they help keep violence against women alive and acceptable.

I think the point is that when you walk in to a situation that you are oblivious to, it makes the job of the predator that much easier. There is nothing wrong with short skirts and tight shirts. The more (or less) of that the better, I say. The problem is that there are a lot of people in the world who are worthless trash. These animals that take advantage of women know that what they are doing is wrong. The problem is that there are only so many angles that you can attack this problem from. Even if a rape conviction meant summary execution, you might deter some but not all. Another angle is to inform the would-be victims to help them be aware of their situation and know how to make themselves a less attractive target, and I don't mean simply wearing ugly baggy clothes or something, but by doing things like using the buddy system and not accepting drinks from random strangers.

At 42, with a lot of friends, I can say that 1 in 5 seems about correct. In college I went to many parties and was almost raped twice. As an adult, at a fancy party with my husband, in a very expensive town, I was drugged but managed to get crawl out of the bathroom, I'd had a single glass of wine. I've been lucky to escape but many of my friends have been raped. It's common. My niece was recently date raped. She was 18 and only had 1 boyfriend for 1.5 years.
I think the punishment should be castration. That would be a deterent.

How many rape convictions have been overturned since DNA evidence has been around? How do you give back a castrated man what you've taken away from him? I understand your frustration, but your suggested punishment is insane not to mention sexist (what about women who rape men? Yes, it is possible and suggesting otherwise or that it never happens is also sexist). Revenge is not justice.

Please........get intelligent. THERE IS LITTLE TO NO WAY A MAN IS GOING TO GET RAPED BY A WOMAN!!! Matter of fact, most times, the male is waiting for a sexual encounter, and says, 'bring it on'. And I agree – there should either be a life sentence for a man who rapes a young lady/woman, the death penalty, or castration. Maybe men would think before they raped if those sentences were in place.

More sexist crap. I know men that have been raped by woman. It is a lot easier than you realize. Your post is sexist garbage along the lines of men who say that women who dress provocatively deserve to get raped because they were asking for it. You're the one who needs to gain some intelligence. Your ignorance disgusts me.

Um... this is an incredibly unintelligent statement. Are you seriously going to tell me that it is impossible for a man to be emotionally overpowered by a woman? That men never are coerced into having sex they don't want? The act of dropping a pill into a drink is not dependent on sex, even if there is a strong correlation to one GENDER.

The fact is that men ARE raped, too, either through traditional sex or through anal penetration, and 3 out of every 4 rapes of men go unreported because of unintelligent statements like yours, because of the cultural assumption that all men always want sex and that all men are strong enough to repel "unwanted" sex (which we ALL know doesn't exist because all men want sex all the time). Even a basic course in modern feminism would teach you this.

@kingofcheesee they are probably (sarcastically) referring to comments from the likes of Akin/Murdock/Santorum most likely. Akin/Murdock comments all but outright condoned the act of rap/e. So the GOP stance of yesteryear seemingly does *not* match todays stance of some of it's more vocal members.

(not sure if murdock's name is spelled right, haven't had my coffee yet)

'anon' is absolutely correct that this isn't your daddy's GOP. John Boehner is no Aaron Sargent that's for darn sure! What the GOP stood for a century ago has very, *very* little to do with what they stand for now. 1890's GOP wouldn't even recognize the 2012 Republican Party (heck, the 1980's GOP wouldn't recognize today's Republicans!) Yeah, they supported the 19th Amendment...now they want to repeal it.

Actually user bldrrepublican is correct. Many woman simply change their minds and report it as rape. Many other women use rape accusations to get revenge on a hated male in their life there's entire books written on just that.

You may be ignorant but the case studies don't lie.. something like 25% of all rapes are actually false accusations.

This comment is not only unfounded but hurtful and simply wrong. Actual studies, not this fool's made up opinion, site the actual percentage much closer to 8%, and likely less. "There is no conclusive study on the number of false allegations of sexual assault, and the studies and surveys that do exist include a wide range of estimated numbers.4 Unfortunately, the study most often quoted is based entirely on victim recantations,5 instead of complete investigations." See here http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1996/96sec2.pdf and http://oregonsatf.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Position-Paper-False-Alleg3.pdf here.

Lets suppose for a moment however that it was 25%, a ridiculously high and misguided number, does that negate any possible reason to do everything possible to stop the abuse of women (and men) who are the victims and to catch and punish the abusers? Why would false accusations have anything to do with prevention and prosecution?

Rape culture in the USA is pervasive and the fact you would willingly make up and throw out "something like 25%..." as if it were an excuse for anything is example of that. I hope you try harder next time.

Why don't we stop it where it starts. It seems that focus is turned toward our young women, making them more responsible for preventing rape when the reality is, it needs to start with our young men first.

I wish I could have read that police went back and investigated until they found who was responsible for this young ladies rape. Predators like this need to know they are not going to get away with it. There were lots of people at this party who could tell police who was there.

the act of rape is a hoorible thing to experience, but the true impact comes after. I share our family story because its important. My cousing was 20 years old, a star athlete on the college and national swim team. she was an outstanding student, with record grades. She was bright and riven, focused on her studies, sport and future. she was raped at a college party. within in three months she was dead- she commited suicide. She fell into a deep depression, she was hospitalized twice. Her parents spent every waking moment and resource on getting her help. she went to the top facilities in the country to get help. sadly above all efforts, support from family, doctors and friends she could still not cope and succeed in commiting suicide. to this day, we don't know who raped her or whether they are even aware of what happened to her. My cousin was a bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her and rape took all of that away from her.
No person be it male or femalae should ever have to feel that they live in a world were things like this happen. no one should have to think twice about going to a party or having a drink for fear that something like this could happen to them. college is about learnign and new life experiences, a time to explore and learn who one is.
I hope that know one experinces what our family has had to endure and I hope that people stop and really think what rape means and how it effects our social norm.

I generally love CNN but this is not "bias" this is poor journalism. By any objective standard, the 1 of 5 women statistic is blatantly wrong (http://www.mindingthecampus.com/forum/2009/12/college_rape_statsthe_cutting.html)

I understand that there is a government study citing that statistic – however I would expect CNN and its journalism to at least try to assess the validity of that statistic, instead of just repeating a government 'fact'.

From the article I mentioned – did you "consider it at all odd...a report claiming that the average annual rate of rape and sexual assault on college campuses is higher than the rate of all violent crimes in Detroit? Or that its...suggest that a woman is around 45 times more likely to be the victim of rape or attempted rape on a college campus than in a high-crime city like Detroit?"

Bringing awareness to rape on college campus is definitely incredibly important – but so is thinking critically about the data provided.

Rape is one of the most heinous actions a person can do to another, taking away someones dignity and scarring them for life. It is inexcusable, the full measure of the law should be taken to prevent (or prosecute) such actions. This is a point most of us here are thinking, but what worries me is the synonymy, perceived by most, between 'man' and 'rapist'.

What is sad, if not disgusting, are the number of comments here denying the problem based on false premises. They claim that neither they (typically male) nor their male friends would ever commit rape, therefore it doesn't happen. That is akin to white people claiming there is no discrimination of non-white people because they personally do not discriminate.
There is a whole continuum of rape, from the "groping" one person mentioned to violent penetration accompanied by threats of deadly force.

I really object to the 1 in 5 statistic. I do not know a single man that would condone, let alone actual commit, the act of rape. That's been true in the workplace and was true at the university. I simply cannot fathom how 1 in 5 women on college campuses are sexually assaulted. How does this happen? You can't just run around assaulting women, there has to be a specific situation (ie, where one or both parties are drunk) where the rapist can get away with it. Given these statistics, how does our society continually allow 20% of our college women into scenarios where they could be raped? It doesn't add up somehow.

The 1/5 statistic is important to highlight the seriousness of the crime, but of course it doesn't mean 1/5 girls everywhere. The desire to commit rape occurs in the mind of the individual. A rapist is an individual who has become so misogynistic that he chooses the "easy" way to get sex, which is by force. Only a real man can get sex through trust and affection. The 1/5 statistic, as horrible as it is, has more prevelance in areas where it's more likely to occur, including campuses and inner-city areas. Women need to be vigilant, and as a male, I would expect them to be.

Attitudes like yours are how this can happen. With the tendency of society in general to disbelieve, women and men, too, who have been sexually assaulted are reluctant to come forward to be ridiculed and questioned as to how they "could have let this happen". Besides, men who rape women do not wear big signs proclaiming their actions, any more than child molesters do. The 20% figure may even be low, an unfortunately large number of women whom I have talked to over the years have been victims of sexual assault of one kind or another.
By the way, having sex with a person who is unable to resist or give consent due to incapacitation, is generally considered rape. The rapist is ALWAYS the one responsible in spite of the male "justification" that she was asking for it.

Keep in mind that the 1 in 5 statistic is for sexual assault, not just rape. A woman who goes to a party and is groped falls into that 1 in 5. If a guy forcibly kisses her, she becomes 1 of the 5. Honestly, I found the 1 in 5 statistic to sound low.

I am a 37 year old woman. I am highly educated, street smart, and I don't dress like "I had it coming to me". Since my early twenties, I have been grabbed inappropriately several times and nearly sexually assaulted by a male "friend". Many times, I was just standing in a crowd at a concert. I have had my ass grabbed at least 3 times. I have had the strap on my dress ripped by a guy because I refused to dance with him . I have had my front side touched by a man who looked at me and laughed as he walked away. And each and everytime, I was so stunned, I froze. And it happens all the time to all women at least once. And women don't speak up when it happens because often it happens so fast. And those guys that do those are pretty much rapists because they have no sense of respect or boundaries. It's just a matter of time.

Christina, that's an important point and thank you for sharing your experience. My colleagues and I have done reporting on these issues of harassment and assault in public places. The power of Georgia sharing her story and of you sharing yours is that it let's people see the prevalence and the pain associated with sexual violence of all kinds.

In ancient and medieval times, rape was a simple fact of life for any woman who didn't have a strong man by her side to protect her. In fact, it's arguably the intolerance of rape that is the biggest defining attribute of a civilized versus a non-civilized society. However, there is always an element of society that refuses to become civilized. Any woman who does not remember this fact and take actions to protect themselves is living in a fantasy world. There's safety in numbers, and don't get trashed around people you don't know. It's not "blaming the victim" to ask a victim of a robbery why they walked alone down a dark alley in the hood late at night. Similarly, it's not "blaming the victim" to ask a college rape victim why they went to a party with people they just met and drank half a bottle of rum.

1 in 5 women on college campuses are se+ually assaulted? Really? Somehow I find that statistic hard to believe.

Also, if you go to a party and get drunk, whether male or female, you should probably just accept that nothing good will come of it. I'm certainly not excusing rape, by any means, but for a girl to attend a party, get drunk and then wake up the next morning in a bad situation, that doesn't exactly sound like a great decision on her part. It's like a tourist wandering through certain parts of Baltimore at three in the morning and being robbed-sure, they're still the victim, but they definitely put themselves in a great position to end up that way. A little discretion would be advised.

Have you never heard of the date rape drug? The reason most people let alone males cannot accept that so many women are raped on campus is because they have not been required to be reported until now. Most colleges push this under the rug and intimidate those women who find the courage to come forward despite the harassment they get from college admin and other students (the men and their friends.)

That "1 in 5 college women get raped" statistic is bogus. I have discussed this topic with hundreds of people. While a couple of people got groped (which is still disgusting), only one person I've talked to was bona-fide raped. And that was a man. I feel for people like my friend Brendan and Georgia in the story, because a horrible thing happened to them. But to take a horrible story and try to make it seem like it is a pervasive societal problem is a ridiculous scare tactic (on par with "stranger danger" that encourages kids to distrust everyone everyone for no good reason). In reality rape is a lot more rare than other types of assault.

Oh yes – Mike – you are going up to women and ask "have you been raped?" and they are going to give you an answer you don't want to hear? Yes most women won't admit it – there is such a stigma such as many of you and those like you – blame the victim. I hear it in the responses of the men posting here.

So, if BOTH parties are drunk, that means that BOTH parties are NOT able to give consent. In that case, the woman is just as guilty of rape as the man, since she had sex with a man who was not able to give consent.

Comprende?

Why do most people assume it's one-sided? Sounds to me like we have a LOT of sexist feminist misandrists here.

Because feminists promote double standards in the definition of rape. They push for legislation like VAWA that is not gender neutral, for example. Even the FBI has a sexist definition of rape. Only females are allowed to be victims in a feminist world. The so called misogynist Men's Rights Movement is more about equality than Feminism is. That's how you end up with double standards and stereotypes like, how "all men want sex" and therefore "a male can't be raped". That's how consent only matters if you're female, on everything to sex while intoxicated to genital mutilation. Nobody cares about the consent of males.

The statutes defining rape were universally written by men, not women. Men are even more shamed by having been raped than women are because of the implications about their masculinity, therefore male lawmakers shied away from the subject altogether.

Men were and continue to be the ones who define "rape." The double standards have nothing to do with feminism and everything to do with the warped traditional concept of manhood which pushes the idea that any "real man" would never ALLOW himself to be raped. The idea that all men want sex all the time and women who want sex are immoral comes from paternalism, not feminism.

If your chosen ID is accurate, you fall under the same category as the GOP candidates who showed immense insensitivity towards rape victims during the recent campaigns (and lost). Among other points, there are varying degrees of intoxication, from buzzed to passed out. Being intoxicated during the commission of a crime does not excuse that crime, otherwise DWI's would not be criminal.

The way they explained it to us while I was in the military was, you can't give consent if your intoxicated, if your both intoxicated who ever gets sober enough first to make it down to the MP's and report it is the victim while the other person is charged with sexual assault. Seen it happen to both sexes.

The rape statistics must be higher It is often reported that many women that are raped in college campuses are afraid about reporting a rape, not talking about consensual sex here, because they are treated by the campus police or university staff as if they behaved or dressed in a manner that they deserved it. Also, it is well know that when the rapist is an athlete, he will not be punished while the female student has to leave the university in shame. Whether on or off campus, rape victims need to be treated with respect and dignity, after all, they are our daughters.

You know how I know this is basically baloney? There are already very strict LAWS against rape, with very SEVERE penalties. So....there already HAS BEEN the most serious response possible regarding rape–it's illegal, and if you're convicted of it you go to jail for a long time.

So, the question must be asked of those who can't refrain from "rape politics" : Why isn't law, courts (criminal AND civil), good forensics (DNA), and severe penalties ENOUGH? Why not focus political action on police and prosecutors, if they are lagging in their duties?

IMO, some people (i.e., feminists) much prefer to LOUDLY COMPLAIN than effectively deal with issues.

There are dozens of reasons that rapes go unreported. Primary reason – shame. It takes a huge amount of courage to speak up after any kind of abuse, especially something so stigmatized. Many rapes are difficult to prosecute. Many women get blamed for allowing themselves to be raped.

Feminists are not just complaining. They are raising awareness to make it easier for people to speak up when they have been raped and feel that they are not alone. Don't demonize them for being outspoken.

Whoa Angry Male, whoa. First of all, colleges in particular have been bad about how they handle rapes and rapists – at my college, a raped woman had to go stand before a panel of professors and staff members and describe the incident to them while her rapist stood in the same room, and then she had to compose a letter to her rapist. Her rapist may or may not get suspended or expelled over the incident... and that was four years ago.

Additionally, raising awareness makes colleges change their policies on how they handle reported rapes and how comfortable women feel coming forward. After being violated, going through the prodding, prying, and reliving of the trauma is the last thing girls want to do.

SteveN – imagine you were raped (Raped as in against your will. As in up your asshole. As in by a big dude more powerful than you). How would you feel about your friends and family knowing about it? It would be pretty hard to keep it a secret since you would be pounding your chest at the police station to demand justice, dealing with investigators, and going to trial. Not a lot of baloney (balogna?) there.

In terms of trying to understand the feminist, or anyone you consider the "other"... here's a hint – first try to imagine what it would be like if you were in their situation. Actually, that's just about all you'd need to do to improve your intelligence about 100,000%, especially in this case.

I dont totally agree, but I got to say you do make a good point.. Since when is the University the Police? Make reporting of these events to the police if you find out about them or are told about them mandantory and be done at that.

Laws do NOT prevent crimes, severe punishment does not either. The death penalty certainly has not prevented murders in this country. We still have unacceptable homicide rates compared to countries that do not have the death penalty.
What will lower crime rates is prevention, including education of the entire population.

I think the key thing is to teach boys that anything except yes means no. If a women isn't able to really coherently agree to having sex, then they really are not consenting. A quick question "Are you sure you want to do this?" is one of the smartest thing a young man can say to avoid finding out that he raped someone the next day.

When I went to college, the police gave their lecture they give to young college men. Listening to it taught me that the people who need to listen to it most were obviously too stupid to be helped, anyway, and would go through life causing small and large harms to others. A scenario he said he saw more than once each year was a man and woman making out and he tries to go farther and she says no. THey continue making out and later he tries again and she says no. The making out continues and he tries again and she does not say no. The next day he is up on rape charges with her saying he kept pressuring her and was so large and intimidating and she told him no twice but he kept on until she was too afraid to say no. The idiotic man tells the police "all she had to do was say no, I would never have hurt her." As George Carlin said, there is no cure for stupid. Education does not help men like that. Police warnings do not help.

No, the key thing is to give up this neo-Victorian notion of sex as some kind of incredibly dirty and humiliating act that somehow permanently damages the female partner (the "victim"), but, puzzlingly, not the male partner, if s/he consents to it while under the influence. Once we redefine rape as an act that necessarily involves force, violence or drugging the victim, the number of college rapes (reported or not) will fall through the floor.

It's hard to see how any guy under 30 could possibly respect women. They all grew up on a steady diet of internet porn, starting around age 11, watching tens of thousands of scenes of women being used, abused, disrespected, face shots, slapped, anal, called slut, whore, bitch. And of course raped. This has created a LOT of sexually messed up young men, in numerous ways. A crowd of young men at an ivy league college was recently hanging around outside dorms chanting "No means yes... Yes means anal." If that was my son and I found out about it I would force him to withdraw from school and get counseling.

Watching violent porn is a choice, no one is strapped in a chair with their eyelids propped open and forced to watch until they no longer have empathy for victims of violence. That is the lamest excuse for violent behavior, yet. We each are responsible for our behavior towards others.

The new "more likely than not" standard of evidence sounds iffy to me. I worry that it could be abused if someone is drunk and agrees to sex but then they regret it and say they were raped. I think if someone agrees to sex even if they are totally wasted they should be held responsible also. Same thing if someone is drunk and decides to drive and ends up killing someone. They should be held responsible.

Eric, there are a number of people who share your concern however the FBI would disagree with that premise. They recently updated their definition to include people who cannot give consent due to intoxication.

I agree, being drunk is no excuse. I certainly couldn't blame someone for forcing me to drive drunk unless I had some serious evidence or witnesses (don't get drunk and go with strange people to strange places, pretty basic). I guess I would like to differentiate between honest mistakes and predatory or violent behavior. Drink responsibly, keep your keys and genitals out of the ignition.

So a guy and a girl both get trashed at a college party. They go have sex with each other. The girl wakes up the next morning (or afternoon), regrets what she has done, tells the police she has been raped, and ruins the guy's life because she can't handle her booze.

Right, Jeff, because females don't have fully developed brains likes males do. So when both of them participate in the exact same activity, the woman is definitely the victim. We can't really expect her to be held accountable for her own behavior in the same way we expect the man to be held accountable for his behavior. To expect that sort of grown-up way of living would be the sort of crazy talk you'd expect to hear from those wacky suffragettes. Pish posh!!!

It called impaired judgement. As in, when you drink, don't drive a car. (but a lot of stupid people do) And I agree that if both parties are trashed, I don't think the guy is necessarily responsible (impaired judgment again) We need to teach or sons and daughters not to think that the only way to have fun is to get too wasted to retain some judgment.

boy oh boy......you are so off-base with your remarks.....:"wacky suffragettes"? Why say that? What do women lobbying for their right to vote (starting in the 1800s) have to do with modern day victim-blaming and backlash ideology regarding rape victims? Maybe it's time to resurrect the Suffragist values. I sure as heck hope you are not a woman for you would be the worst kind, a woman who hates other women if for no reason that to sound cool to guys who hate women.

If she's passed out or if the guy is sober and the girl is extremely drunk then it should be rape. If both parties are intoxicated and she doesn't consent it should be considered rape. If she's not extremely intoxicated and consents or if both parties are drunk and she consents then she should be held responsible. Same way if someone drinks and drives they should be held responsible.

How's this for a concept ... assume that if the woman is drunk, it's the same as no. I mean really, it's not like breathing, you don't have to take advantage of every opportunity to have sex. Why not make sure, or wait until later ... oh yeah, one night stand, a guy's got to have it, don't give a sh it. That is the problem.

And if the man is drunk? You honestly think a man can make good decisions when drunk but a woman can't? And you think women couldn't want a one night stand, as if there was no sexual liberation movement among women? I agree that you should really just wait until you're sober, but when both parties are drunk, you can't just blame the man. Both are at fault.

Fine, but if a guy is drunk and the woman is sober, then the man can not consent and any sexual relations is rape of a man by a woman. Equality means your definitions apply to BOTH sides. No double standards.

It's from a study funded by the Department of Justice. Numerous other government studies have found similar statistics. Government studies have also found that rape is an under reported crime so all statistics should be viewed through that lens.

Questioning the source of statistics makes sense but I have to wonder why many in this comment thread have such a difficult time accepting these figures.

There are sharks at the bars, looking to score with drunk women. They might get the women on the way back to their car. They might offer to drive, which the woman being drunk thinks is a good idea, only to get taken somewhere else and raped. Lowering the drinking age won't help. Being drunk is part of the problem, and making it easier to get drunk won't solve it.

I just want to say if you are raped, go straight to the POLICE - NOT CAMPUS POLICE or RA or DEAN or ADMINISTRATION. 911 or go to hospital IMMEDIATELY. Schools don't care about an individual student as much as they care about their precious reputation. My friend learned this in a horrible way. I can't elaborate due to terms of the settlement.

Before you go providing advice, know that every situation is different. First off, at most institutions, especially mid-size to larger, the campus police are real police. I work at a mid-size institution, and I can't tell you how many times a student has gone to their RA and reported a sexual assault. Due to proper training, these student leaders did exactly what they should have – contacted a professional staff member and got the student to the hospital to be checked and have the MLE completed. While some students want to speak with the police, others do not, and merely want support from a peer, their RA or professional staff members at the institution. Quite frankly, when you call the police, you get a cop, and they aren't always the most sensitive or supportive. They are there to get the facts, and move forward with a case. I'm sorry your friend had an awful experience, but know that it's not like hat everywhere.

Nothing condones sexual assault – nothing. But ladies on college campuses, please grow a brain. If you choose to go to these parties where they will ply you with alcohol for the sole purpose of lowering your defenses to gain access to what's in your pants, at the very least don't accept drinks you didn't watch someone pour from start to finish and then never let it out of your sight so you don't get roofied. But even better, stay away from the alcohol if you aren't capable of knowing your limit for staying cognizant of your surroundings. You have a lot of power to protect yourself & it's really sad how many young women simply give that power away.

Ive been to hundreds of college parties and I have not seen once where a girl was tied up and forced to drink alcohol. Women have a brain and know what they are getting into when they start drinking at a college party. You dont just go dumb after drinking. And girls say they dont know what happened the night before but they do. Only 2 percent of the drinking population experience true black outs where they are awake but out of it. The only thing I dont agree with is when someone is completely passed out.

So if a girl is drunk, that gives you permission to have sex with her. She "knows what she is getting into" when she starts drinking. And excuse me, I beg to differ, you do just go dumb after drinking.

College police departments need to be abolished. They often won't bite the hand that feeds them, after all the financial interests of the college are too great. too tempting to sweep crimes under the carpet so that the $$ come rolling in. See Penn State.

You should also be ashamed that you still can't form complete sentences, despite having gone to college. Maybe if you hadn't spent your formative years getting drunk and abusing women, you'd be literate by now.

Anon, we all make mistakes and we all have committed things that we are ashamed about. Some people blame others for their actions, like placing the blame on women in this case, while the lucky ones learn from their mistakes. The fact that you feel shame about what you did, shows that you have a conscience and I know that the day you become a parent, you will teach your kids better and perhaps help others from your experience. As parents, regardless of what the media, the movie and the music industry teaches our kids about sex, we meed to teach our kids, both men and women, to treat each other with respect and dignity.

Some three-quarters of rapes in college are alcohol-related. When a woman is raped when she's been drinking, she is blamed for the assault and told that if she didn't want to be raped she shouldn't have had anything to drink (or worn those clothes, or worn makeup, or ever dated anyone, or left her house). When a man rapes a woman while drunk we're told that he didn't know any better because he was drunk. ...Yeah. Brilliant logic.

There are a few things that could drastically cut down rapes on campus. PUT AN END to campus parties. Yeah that's a tough one to swallow but kids are in college to learn. Today parties on campus are an invitation to date rape drugs. In the real world off campus not everyone is going to parties drinking themselves into drunken stuper. Another thing is if banning parties won't happen, have chaperones by adults or security at these parties. Good old fashioned curfews. Everyone in their own dorm room lights out at 10. Start treating these kids like kids.

Neither of those things will happen... ever. You'd have to pay chaperones to do that and I highly doubt anyone would like to be up until 2 am with drunk college kids. Curfews are ridiculous. People could be out at the library until 3 am, but that's not allowed. That's the beginning of a police state.

Holy c#$p, don't blame the victims?! There are a range of common and natural responses to trauma that different people use to cope and survive. Some people need to put it out of their minds to get past it, either temporarily or permanently. I think this is based more on personality type than how they were 'raised'. I also don't think it's fair to harass a victim for their coping strategy. They've suffered a very personal injury and their response is going to be equally personal. Jeez. CNN commenters are freakin' bloodthirsty.

Yes, we must raise them to walk into an off campus police department to report it. Report it; as soon as they wake up with those bruises, & realize they have been raped. Getting rid of the physical evidence; so the rapists can continue to drug & gang bang more young women, is not how I would want my daughters to react to this crime. Those rapists might have graduated with shining records by now, & are living among unsuspecting future victims.
Try making a police report next time Georgia. The rapists belong in jail, or at least being under the closer scrutiny an investigation would have brought down upon them.

Good grief. These victims report the crime, and they have to deal with scrutiny, psychological torment, lawyers calling them liars, their rapists blaming them for "ruining their lives," and an entire country telling them that it's their fault for going to a party / walking alone at night / going to a friend's dorm room / whatever-they-did-that-obviously-made-them-"ask-for-it." They don't report the crime, and they have people like you insulting them. Show some respect, for pity's sake. Shaming doesn't get anyone anywhere.

The victim will have a hard time mentally if they report it or even if they do not; so why not do the right thing & try to protect other women.
We took a lot of abuse for shining the light on a particularly nasty creeper, so we know exactly what they face.
Guess what; that creeper got the cr@p beat out of him the next time he targeted someone new, because they reacted immediately when she started screaming.
Staying silent about any kind of abuse allows it to stay hidden. To paraphrase Edmund Burke..."In order for evil to flourish, all that is required is for good men(or women) to do nothing". What if they kill the next one (even by accident). What if the next one kills herself? Could you live with that?
I know it is hard, we have been there. Sometimes the right road is a path strewn with stones.

Indeed. The vast majority of rapists are men. MEN are the people who can actually stop rape. Looks like they're not too concerned with doing so, though. But maybe if we DO raise our sons better there will be some change.

The vast majority of college rapists are men, because that's essentially how the rape is defined. We have these ridiculous double standards, according to which, consensual sex between a drunk man and a drunk woman is considered a rape of a woman (but not the other way around).

Nameless...the point is consent. Typically, a drunk woman is more vulnerable for physical reasons alone. In addition due to physiology, women can become more intoxicated on a particular amount of alcohol than a man of similar size. You are far off base.